sleeper



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. W. SLEEPER.

SHOE UPPER SPLITTING MACHINE. No. 350,084. Patented Sept. 28, 1886.

4 M M i a4 W a u 3 Sheets8heet 2.

-(No Model.)

G. W-. SLEEPER. SHOE UPPER SPLITTING MACHINE.

No. 350,084. Patented Sept. 28, 1886.

(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 3. G. W. SLEEPER.

SHOE UPPER SPLITTING MACHINE.

No. 350.084. Patented Sept. 28, 1886. illlfl l ll fil l lill J 'l'lmt *rlrrss UNITE new Erica.

GEORGE \V. SLEEPER, OF

\VESTBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF (DYE-HALF TO \VILLIAM A. REED, OF SAME PLACE.

imam

as LQLFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 350,084, dated Fieptember 28, 1886.

Application tiled Xovember 9, 188.3. Serial No. 182,256. (No model.)

To to whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. SLEEPER, of XVestborough, in the county of \Vorcester and State of Massaehusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in l\lanulaetnre of Shoes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention is an improvement upon the to machine shown in Letters Patent of the United States granted to in vself and \Villiam A. Reed, assignee, on the 16th day of June, 1885, and numbered 320,407.

The main purpose of my present invention is to improve the form of leather upper as produced by the splitting-maehine in respeet to the parts severed along the line of the open. front of the upper.

In the machine shown in the patent cited above,therollers feedingthe blank to the splitting-knife were formed with cut-away portions with marginal walls serving as guides for the knife, so that the upper produced (as shown in my patent of the same date, No. 820,406)

had somewhat of an abrupt margin between the thick or unsplit and thin or split portions of the upper. In making shoes out of these uppers this margin or raised edge was necessarily shaved down to give the upper in these parts a smooth and finished appearance.

In the machine hereinafter described the cylindrical rolls are used for feeding only, and the knife is caused to turn out of the leather by its own movement along lines approximat ing the edges of the front or margins of the uppers at the front opening, so that the upper part of the leather is severed from the lower on an incline plane from edge to edge, which leaves the sides of the upper smooth and with- 0 out the abrupt shoulder,which required shaving off the sides, and consequently additional handling of the blank or upper after it had been split.

In myimproved machine all the leather nec- 4 5 essary to be removed from the sides of theupper is left upon the forward edges of the upper after it is split, and eanberemoved therefrom without additional labor when-those edges are trimmed.

Besides attainingthe object above described I have improved the construction of the ma chine and i nereased its efliciency.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a central longitudinal section taken. vertically through the feed-rolls and boxes, other portions of the machine being shown in. side elevation. Fig. 2 represents a rear elevation of the knife mechanism for feeding and gniding the blanks. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the machine. Fig. 4 is similar to Fig. 2,withthe upper feedroll and pressureplates removed and the boxes swung out of position to show their pivots. Fig. 5 is a section on line a a: of Fig. 4-. Fig. (3 shows a diagram ,of the upper. Fig. 7 is a detail. view.

The feed-rolls a a are mounted in a cast-iron standard, A, and serve simply to move the blank, being properly grooved for that purpose. Each is journaled in a box or frame which extends across the standard from side to side. The upper box is marked 1 and it is pivoted on a stud, 1), formed on the box near the end and working in a bearing, 0, in the frame. The lower box, I), has a like stud, and is provided with a like bearing in the other side of the frame A. Slots 1+ are cut into these studs to widen the space for the leather blanks. The boxes are pressed together by means of upper and lower springs, d, which have their outer bearings in the frame and inner on the boxes. The boxes are separated by means of a lever, E, which is pivoted on the frame at it, and is connected to the boxes by links e e. The link 6 on the short end of the lever connects it with the free end of the upper box, and link 6 connects the free end of the lower box with the lever E, near the other end. The lever-handle when pressed down raises the upper and depresses the lower box, thus separating them, as required, when the 0 blank is to be withdrawn. In the boxes are bearings 2 for the rolls, those of the upper roll being shown clearly in Fig. I. The shalt of one roll extends out to receive any suitable driving mechanism. The rolls are geared to each other 5 .by pinions 5 on the ends opposite the crank,

these pinions having teeth long enough to permit'the slightscparation necessary. This separation is slight and immaterial when the rolls are feeding the leather, and is without effect rear part of the frame of the machine.

r shaft, m, having its bearings in when the rolls are opened for the retraction of the blank, as the knife is not then operating. The center of the rolls, however, always bears the same relation to the knife-edge. In front of the rolls are guide-plates g 9, one pivoted ,at 3/ on the upper box, the other at y on the lower box. The construction and arrangement of the plates are shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The upper plate, 9, is pivoted at the pivoted end of the upper box, and thelower, g, at the pivoted end of the lower box. They are pressed toward each other by means of flat springs h h, bolted one to the upper surface of the upper and the other to the under surface of thelower box, their ends extending over the boxes and bearing on the edges of the plates. This gives the plates a movement independent of the boxes and rolls, and permits them to adjust themselves to any thickness of leather, while the rolls maybe set near together. The inner sides of the plates are made, as shown in Fig. 1, to conform to the rolls. The pivots of the plate are set partially outside of their bearing-surfaces, to givespace and proper swing, as is also the case with the boxes.

By the construction,above.explained, of the boxes pivoted at opposite ends and inde-' pendently-pivoted guide-plates, the plates and rolls are always-centered in relation to the knife-edge, the position of which is shown at .K, Fig.1, with its edges at the front of the space between the guide-plates. It is held upon a holder, S, fitted to a socket, s, mounted 011 a shaft, L, turning in bearings in the The axis of this shaft is in line with the center of the space between the guide-plate edges both vertically andlaterally, so that as the shaft turns the central point on the edge of the knife remains in line with the space. The knifeshaft has only the slight extent of rotarymovement necessary to turn the edge out of the leather on the proper lines. This movement is effected by a cam-wheel, M, mounted on a the lower part of the frame. A friction-wheel, n, on a stud, 6, set in the socket s, bears on. the periphery of the cam-wheel.

It will be understood by reference to the patents heretofore specified that the leather blank, out of which the upper is to' be made in this machine, is split from rear toward the front, through a part only in length of the leather, and that at or approximating that point where the line of the frontopening of the shoe unites with the line of the top of the. shoe the knife is turned partly out of the leather, or if already turned out is turned still farther,

so as to split only a. portion or a less portionthereof.

In the machine shown in my aforesaid patent the shoulder of the cut-away portion of the roll determines the line on the leather on which the knife, travels after it is turned out of part of the leather. The periphery of the wheel M is in part circular, the, circular part commencing at the starting-point of the roller,

which is to be split from side to side, or to have Dur- the widest split, to pass over the knife. ing this time the knife is heldstationary, either in a plane parallel with the guide edges or slightly inclined thereto, in order to form the rear portions of the upper thicker at the bottom and thinner at the top, and either of full width of blank or less, according to the first position of the knife, whether splitting full width or less. At the proper point on the periphery of the wheel the surface begins gradually to rise, as shown at 0, until it reaches a stop, 8. This high part graduallyraises the roller 011 the stud, and as gradually turns the knife-shaft, the amount of said turning depending on the form required for the front of the shoe. It is formed to turn the knifemorc and more out of the leather below on one side of the central line of the blank, and above on the other side of said line, the lines gradually approaching each other, as shown in the diagram figure, in which the blank is represented by Q, and the lines where the knife in splittingsevers the surface of the leather, as indicated at w z w z. g are split from the leather to a thin edge, but are trimmed down after they have been split. The shaft of the cam-wheel M is provided with a gear-wheel, 1?, on the other side ofthe machine, which meshes with a gear, 9, journaled i nthe frame, and drives a pinion, 1-, on one of the roll-shafts. On the same shaft with the gear pis a gear, 19', driven by a wormshaft, which is driven by a band from-theloose pulley It, to which the motive power is applied. It will be apparent, however, that the mechanism for driving the parts may be greatly varied.

I have shown. the connections between the knife-shaft and knife as consisting of an in- IIO flexible holder, S, fitted to slide laterally in a socket, s, and to be held therein at the proper point'by a set-screw, 11. to the holder by scl'ews12, which pass through slots in the blade, and the position of the edge is adjusted by means of set-screws 13. A joint may be made in the holder, as in- Fig. 7, soas to allow the knife to be turned up for sharpening. A suitable table, T, is fixed in front of the guides.- The lever which opens. the rollers may be connected to a treadle conveniently placed.

I claim as my invention- 1. A machine for splitting blanks to form uppers, having feed-rolls, guide-plates in rearof said feed-rolls, and a knife arranged in rear of the guide-plates, and mechanism, substantially as described, adapted to turn the said knife partially in relation to said guide-plates, and mechanism for imparting the required motionsto the parts specified, all substantially as described.

2. Ina machine for splitting blanks, feedrolls mounted in boxes, said boxes being piv The knife is fixedoted at one end, the upper at one side and the lower at the other side of the frame, and yielding guide-plates placed in the described relation to the knife, all substantially as described.

3. In a machine for splitting blanks, feedrolls mounted in boxes, said boxes being pivoted at one end, the upper on one side and the lower on the other side of the frame, and yielding guide-plates pivoted at one end on the boxes and having independent movement, all. substantially as described.

4. In combination, the feed-rolls, the guide plates, and the knife mounted on a shaft and provided with a stud, and a cam-wheel adapted to move the stud to turn the knife, and meelr anisms, substantially as described, for operating the parts specified, all substantially as described.

5. In combination with the pivoted boxes and feed-rolls mounted therein, the springs 11, the lever E, and links 6, these parts being ar ranged and operating; in the machine substan tially as described.

6. The combination, with feed -rolls and guideplates, and with a knife mounted on a shalt adapted to turn, of a stud on said shaft, and a cam-wheel having circular and aised parts fitted to hold the knife in position during' part of the operation and to turn it during a part. whereby the split portion of the EDGAR M. BIXBY, WILLIAM A. REED. 

